Yesterday I spend what seemed like hours, getting all these bits and pieces in TOI detached. Checked out the miniatures, got a bit annoyed about the bended barrels of some tanks and worried about the infantry figures as they seemed ever so fragile. I must say I like the quality of the gameboard and the board pieces. Hmm and there's cards to, wonder what I'll be using those for (does my being new to this kind of game show? )

I must admit I took my time to get it all out of the box, but now I finally found some peace and quiet to concentrate on this job.

Overwhelmed I was by all the stuff that is in it. Maybe that sounds familiar to you, but looking at the huge pile of all sorts of counters, I really got a bit worried, will I ever figure out what it all is for..... Luckely I got me one of them storage boxes in wich at least the small bits an piece fit, so that made it all less chaotic.

Where to start I wondered, opening the rule book ment an instant flood of information, opening the scenario book seemed less impressive. It seems rather thin and the information seems sporadic, but than I must admit I still have to really sit down and look at it all. (put my thinking cap on as it were).

So I went and had a look at BGG to find out what my best course of action might be and was surprised about the negative comments I found. Surely last time I checked everybody was so enthousiastic about the game, but reading the comments really might me think I probably shouldn't even try to figure it all out as apparenlty I'd bought an expensive lemon.

I've I can believe what I've read the scenareos are no good at all. The whole installing of the army figures is, to say the least, troublesome and I could mention some more, rather offputting comments. Having been convinced by all the good reviews this would be a remarkable game, I'm now somewhat at a loss asto what to think.

Maybe I'd be best served by simply ignoring all the comments and simply try to play the game and form my own opinion, but I'd love to hear from some people to try and convince me it was indeed a good idea to buy this game. And soem good advise to solve problems, I have not stumbled upon yet, would also be appreciated.

Well I'm stuck with it now, so no doubt it'll get played anyway, but all this negativety makes one tempted to put this asside and try another game first.

Hello!

Don't hear on these negative commentaries! You've bought a really good strategic (tactical?) boardgame. Yes, it's a little tricky to put all those little miniatures in the base. And specially the first scenarios are a little unbalanced. But I don't think that the most battles in WWII were balanced. If you want more balanced scenarios then you could download it right here from FFG.

My Tip: Work through the manual, play one or two games... Then you know, that TOI is a really nice game with more potential (and as the next step I think you will buy Days of the fox).

Greetings from germany,

Kasi

Hallo Kasi,

Vielen Dank.

I'll continue in english before I'll get told off again for not doing so.

Thanks for your good advise. Currently a lot of good seems to come from Germany for me. Found me a very helpfull internet gamestore wich, as we speak, are sending me Battle Lore and Wings of War.

Hmm I reckon that means I'll better get started on trying ToI or I'll never get to it. December is going to be a busy month with memoir still waiting it's turn to be played. Ahwell, never mind, nothing on telly anyway, so what better way to spend the days.

Thanks,

Regards from the Netherlands,

Hello!

Battlelore is also in my game collection. But beware: It has a little more luck factor than TOI. I still have begun to paint the Battlelore-Figures.

Wings of War i still don't have but it's on my wishlist for further boardgames ;-)

One further point: Don't be afraid of the rules of TOI. It seems first complicated, but if you played one or two games then you will find much of the rules plausible. On FFG support are a few scenarios who aren't as big as the scenarios in the booklet. Maybe you will try this first.

Have fun and very playful christmas :-)

P.S. sorry for my bad english, i was not the best in school in languages :-) But I don't have trouble to understand the english boardgames that I have.

I've taught TOI to several new gamers recently and based on my experiences, I'd recommend new players try the following:

1. Start your first game with New Player Scenario 1- Infantry . This is especially important if the new players aren't already familiar with tactical squad level wargames or miniatures games. View this scenario as somewhat of a "boot camp" style training mission. The purpose of this scenario is to become comfortable with the game's core infantry rules without being distracted by all of the "flavor" rules. Make sure you are confident with things like turn order (the game uses threaded turns), the difference between the various order types, how Op Fire works, etc. It wouldn't hurt to try out a few assaults as well since the assault rules have some weird rules that take some getting used to. Don't spend a *ton* of time on this scenario, but do play through until you and your opponents are comfortable with the basic rules and can play the scenario at a somewhat quick pace. That last thing you want to do is get into a more complex scenario and constantly be looking up every single rule.
   
2. Once you have the basic rules down, move on to a simple scenario. I'd recommend Crossroads at Lucca , Tiger Hunt , or Ormel Farm (discalimer, I designed this last scenario so I'm biased ). All of these scenarios feature simple objectives, but begin to add layers of complexity to the game which makes things much more interesting. As an added bonus, Tiger Hunt is probably my favorite ToI scenario! I'd play through each of theses scenarios a few times, again making sure that you are comfortable with the rules that have been introduced before moving on.
   
3. After playing through the scenarios listed above, you are ready to move on to just about any other scenario. I'd definitely check out the winning scenario for FFG's "Introductory Scenario Competition". I can't seem to locate the link to it, but it's called " Blood on the Mountain ." IMHO, it's a bit complex to start with, but once you have a foundation it's one of the best ToI scenarios out there! I also really enjoyed Tank Hunters and Redball Express .

At this point, you should be able to play through any of the official FFG scenarios with no difficulty and have a great time with it. A few of the scenarios in the rulebook aren't that balanced, but for the most part they are pretty fun. The Days of the Fox scenarios tend to be more balanced, as do many of the official scenarios on the FFG Website .

Hi

I can only confirm the positive voices above. ToI is a very well designed, smooth tactical game (NOT a simulation like ASL), which plays fast, interactive and rewards planning and tactical thinking.

The rules are solid enough to support several scales of battles, from platoon-sized engagements to to fights involving one or two company-sized forces per side (for which you would need larger maps and more minis, i.e. multiple copies of the game).

I play with painted 15mm metal minis which work very vell at this scale.

The support on the pages here is quite good, with many fan-made scenarios and home-brewed additions to the game.

So, no real reason to be depressed, but to feel a little excitement about the discoveries that lie ahead... :-)

Klaus

Something else that can really help is the use of Universal Head's Tide of Iron Reference Sheet . This can really help players find the majority of rules they will use in a single document that's just a couple of pages. This saves players from having to flip through the entire (and oddly organized) rule book. You won't find every rule here, but it's a godsend for new players trying to become comfortable with the basic rules of the game.

Thank you all very much for your kind assistence, it's highly appreciated.

Kasi, I have no problems with your english at all, you should have a look at my german.

Painting Battle Lore, yeah I'd fancy having a go at that, but I understand this will be an epic taks. Besides I still have to find me a local shop that'll sell all the right paints etc. I need. When I was young I used oilbased paints to paint miniatures, but I understand that's not the way to do it.

Please feel free to send me photos of your finished miniatures, I'm most curious.

Pravel, I've looked at the scenarios on the site and experienced difficulty in accessing the officiall ones (or are they the same as in the scenario book?) with the fan-scenarios there didn't seem to be a problem at all. Funny that.

I'll have a look at the scenarios you recommend and stuff them into my computer, so I don't have to worry about losing them.

yet again thanks to you all.

I personally dont understand why someone would spend $80 or more if you bought the xpansion and not even wat to try & play it or read the rules based on others opinions. Just seems very narowminded & pointless to me. Sure their will always be some that do not care for the game but to not even put forth the effort to form their own opinion just seems stupid.

Personally I greatly enjoy the game & yes there is a learning curve but very xciting game. Believe what you want the negative thoughts on game or positive.

Tide of Iron is a very good game.

Just avoid the first couple of scenarios in the booklet (hard I know) and download some of the introductory scenarios from the FFG website, which are much better balanced.

Also, the Days of The Fox expansion is beautiful and in general has better scenarios than the base set.

Have fun!

If your worried about the rules being too much in the book form, I highly reccomend Universal Heads reference PDF's, I dont leave home without them with any game he's done, heres the link to TOI (it includes the Days of the Fox expansion AND is fully updated to the changes in the rules and the errata per the Official FFG FAQ list).

Heres the link, HIGHLY recommended I say!

http://files.boardgamegeek.com/geekfile_view.php?fileid=37250

The only thing that I would watch out for with those PDFs (if you're not well versed in the rules) is that on the pages where he lists the fortifications and obsticles, he says that vehicles can not enter a hex with a pillbox or an entretchment and that is not correct. They can enter the hex, they can not enter the fortification.

sloejack said:

I'll have to take your word for it, my base game isnt here yet . However, what your saying would make more sense since the rules appear to be just because the unit is IN the hex doest mean they are in the fortification etc. And the rules in Days of the Fox state you cant haul AT guns into a pill box or foritifed position and they should be treated like vehicles in that aspect.

yes sloejack is correct

TeufelHund said:

I'd have to echo the above comments.

No reason to be "depressed"...don't worry, be happy!

Luftwaffe Flak said:

Yeah, it is really a nice summary (though I do not understand why some sections - like units abilities or squad special. - are there thrice, in each nation section, it seems to me redundant).

After reading through I have refreshed my knowledges and noticed some new facts for me :-)

But:

a) at the AT-guns section was this paragraph:

Cover
Equipment units in the same hex as at least 1 entrenchment gain +1 cover.

In DOTF rules I have not found any rule that would say something like this.

b) On the last page in paragraphs relating to counting attack/defence value are not included bonuses granted by Alfa, Bravo specialization. (but it is a trifle :-))

Sagitar, you bought a great game.

Just take a beer, coffee or hot choco and read the manual. It's not that bad if your english is fair.

And don't try to do all the dificult stuff at once. take it step by step.

Niet je hoofd laten hangen (don't get depressed) !

groet,

Scragnoth

bcpravel said:

Hello Pravel,

Ofcourse following all the instructions given, I had a look at 'your' reference sheet and noticed to my shock that I don't have some things that are mentioned, like artillery miniatures, and several counters.

Am I right in assuming this reference sheet includes the expansion? (day of the fox - or what is it called again?)

Sagitar:

You are correct - Universal Head's sheet does include information and game pieces from the DotF expansion (which is definitely worth getting by the way, it has some great scenarios like "Rescue Mission" and the desert boards are beautiful).

Artemis:

To answer your question about equipment receiving a +1 cover bonus for being in the same hex as an entrenchment, it's from an official FAQ.

http://new.fantasyflightgames.com/ffg_content/tide-of-iron/media/TOI_FAQ1-2.pdf

Hope that helps,

Sincerely,

Yipe

Yipe said:

Thanks, Yipe, for explanation. I had some TOI_Faq document like that you mentioned, but do not know, whether I missed it there or had some older version :-).

Everyone sure seems most impressed by day of the fox.

Do I have to assume it is better than the original or just different.

Had a quick look at 'the geek' and from the pictures I get the impression it's just ToI, but than located in the dessert.

I don't suppose you can 'attach' the boards of both and make one epic gameboard?

Ofcourse I'll be trying to master TOI before I even think of buying 'the fox'. I was hoping to have a serious stab at it this weekend, but suddenly a Christmas tree needs errecting (well I should have seen that comming), unexpected obligations planned this afternoon and I dread what tomorrow will bring, well you know how these things go.

Anyway, I'm most curious to know what makes the fox so special, i.e. better than the original.

well of course it adds the british and AT guns, new terrain types more scenarios ETC

you know, I've recently checked out some reviews on game expansions and the one thing that puts me off buying expansions is that most of the time, they basically are a whole new game. Well, for a part that is.

This means you won't be using your original game pieces. For instance, as you say Day of the Fox is all about the war in africa and provides us with a brittisch army. This ofcourse means you won't need your americans anymore, (does it come with a new german army too, or do you use the original one?)

I prefer it if an expansion is just that and simply is your basic game with extra units. Personally I'd hate to have an army just sitting in the box, and what if the expansion is so great as you all say, I might never want to play the basic game ever again. Wouldn't it just been easier (cheaper) if we just modified our americans into brittish or is it that different?

Yeah, I know, that wouldn't be the same.

Maybe it would be an idea to throw all your units from both games together and use them all in one epic D-day scenario.

Yes I do confess, I really like games with loads of miniatures...

As mentioned previously, it adds a few pieces for the Germans and Americans but you still need the original pieces for the germans and americans for the scenarios. Honestly, you just got the base game. I'd play the heck out of that and if you're looking for more then look into picking up Days of the Fox or Normandy don't worry about trying to have it all now. I picked up both when I bought it and we've been playing the base game for months, probably won't start our first Days of the Fox scenario until the new year so there's tons of fun and replay value in it that the expansion is just that, another option for players looking for something a little different and new challenges.

I agree. The expansions aren't necessary for the base game to be enjoyable. I'd start with the base game and if you love it, you'll also love the expansions.